Definition of "oxidation" []

• The combination of a substance with oxygen. (noun)
• A reaction in which the atoms in an element lose electrons and the valence of the element is correspondingly increased. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Of all the electron-grabbing elements, the most important is oxygen, so much so that chemists use the term oxidation to name the general chemical activity of grabbing electrons from other atoms, even if a chlorine atom is doing the grabbing."
• "I have heard that champagne musts are particularly high in laccase, an oxidation enzyme, so oxidation is always a problem in Champagne winemaking."
• "I'd also like to add that oxidation is also a problem in traditional Champagne winemaking because the still wine has to have low SO2 in order the second fermentation to move through successfully."